One of the greatest gifts of life is the relationships you build with others. I have especially grown to appreciate this through my practice. More often than not, I develop strong relationships with my patients – and many turn into friends.
Over the past year, we have all been tasked with finding new ways to communicate and interact, often followed by Zoom meetings, FaceTime calls and increased texting. For those who are more social extroverts, this year may have been especially challenging and tested your capacity to find similar fulfilling encounters. It probably required extra effort and a little self-evaluation, but chances are you made it work, and found some introspective insight along the journey.
Although we still have a way to go for face-to-face rendezvous, it is so important to continue to nourish the relationships you have with people in your life right now.
It’s notable to mention that friends may come in and out of your life at a distinct time. I have learned that as we continue to build and nourish friendships throughout our entire lives – each one fulfills a need at a moment in time. It may be that you found comfort with someone who understood your circumstance, or something bigger brought you together for a larger cause. Some may stay for the long-term and some for a short spurt – and that’s ok. Regardless of the tenure, the time they spend in your life is worth cherishing for what it offered you when it was part of your life.
So I encourage you to build those relationships, appreciate them while they are part of your life, and be comfortable with accepting short encounters for what they offered you at the time. Every relationship has its benefits, learnings and fulfillment.
